Tysers new website provides a powerful, interactive medium for capturing high quality enquiries, supporting operations and building Tysers' international brand and reputation.

The challenge. Develop a powerful and effective online presence for one of the industry's leading insurance brands.

Lloyd's broker Tyser & Co Ltd1 and its service company Tyser Group Services Ltd (together "Tysers") is a top independent international insurance broker, founded in 1820 and operating at the heart of the global insurance market in the City of London. Tysers employs around 200 people, handling more than $600 million of annual premiums and working with leading insurance markets worldwide to deliver risk solutions to a global client base.

With 190 years of successful brokerage behind it, Tysers has an international reputation for delivering a professional service across a wide range of specialist insurance classes. The firm specialises in providing solutions for marine, aviation, international property and casualty, treaty reinsurance, international construction and UK, US and international corporate businesses.

Founded in the marine trade within the developing world, Tysers incorporated from a partnership in 2001 and carried out a management buyout in 2007. While the essential characteristics and family ethos of the firm remain, Tysers today is a highly motivated, enterprising, 100 per cent employee-owned business.

Tysers new website has become the primary showcase for the firm's expertise, demonstrating its experience in international insurance markets and providing new, existing and potential clients easy access to advice, guidance and other material.

The solution. A versatile and engaging business platform for clients, employees and subsidiaries.

The aim of the project was to refresh the firm's image in the marketplace, with an exciting, dynamic website that could do more than simply showcase the firm's expertise and offerings. Tysers wanted to manage its own content, continually updating to reflect a constantly shifting market and increasingly sophisticated client needs. In particular, the firm wanted to provide integrated access to the document collaboration system it uses for customer reporting and information exchange. Finally, Tysers wanted to provide a platform for an extranet solution to speed up and streamline communications, document exchange and transaction flow with clients. This service enables clients to assess online reports, real time data along with document related to their insurance risks.

A clear advantage of Alterian CMC is the ability to deliver bespoke, specialised functionality using plug-ins. For Tysers, this has enabled integration with The Insurance Workplace (TIW), its internet based document management system. OCS Consulting are experts in working with TIW and have previously developed associated plug-ins using .NET.

The result. A dynamic, interactive site. With more to come.

"Our internal IT team worked closely with OCS to deliver the solution which is easy to maintain and expand, whilst providing tight editorial control. The end result is a website which we are proud to promote to our clients and trading partners."says Chief Information Officer Ed Slade.

Now that the new site is up and running, Tysers wants to use the Alterian CMC to develop multiple sites to support subsidiaries and specialised products.

While the firm expects to see a quick return on investment, this was not as important as refreshing its brand image and meeting client needs.

"At Tysers, we are constantly looking at ways to improve the manner in which we communicate and interact with clients, underwriters and other business partners. The re-launched website forms a key part of this process," says Chief Operating Officer Quintin Heaney.

"A wealth of information can already be found on the website, which will be at the heart of Tysers future marketing strategy. It will grow to become the principal marketing and information channel to stakeholders, including clients, prospects, underwriters, jobseekers, business partners and the media."